The Difference Between a Short Sale and a Foreclosure

As a home buyer, it is important to know the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure.

During the boom time in real estate the answers were much different than today. At the peak of the market, the definition of a short sale was a property that sold the day it was listed. The term foreclosure was almost a foreign term because sellers were able to sell their homes if they were having trouble making their payments and quite frankly, there were not many.

So what exactly is a "Short Sale"?

A short sale is the process of a seller obtaining an offer on their property and then trying to convince the bank to accept less than what is due. For example, a seller owes $250,000 on the house, but can only get $200,000. The bank has a lien on the property and this debt must be cleared in order for the house to be sold.

When considering looking at short sales or foreclosures, you must first understand that a short sale is a much more difficult property to obtain. The two are like apples and oranges when it comes to a buyer's experience.

What Makes a Foreclosure Different Than a Short Sale?

A foreclosure is a property that has already been taken over by the bank. The seller was unable to keep up with payments and simply had to relinquish the property back to the bank. Foreclosures are fairly straight-forward sales because the banks typically do not want to be "home owners"; they want to be "home loaners".

Your Time Is Valuable

When looking at a short sale property, keep in mind that you may not be able to buy it.

Ask yourself this question, "Can I put my plans on hold and wait 4 months (or even a year) for the bank to decide to accept a short sale?"

If the answer is no, then avoid short sales. If you are okay with waiting, then a short sale may prove to be a good choice if the price seems right.

Foreclosures are More Straight Forward

With bank owned homes, you can typically close quickly and the main factor to keep in mind is that many people look for foreclosures, so if you find one you like act quickly, and secondly, they are sold as-is. The sellers generally do not make repairs on the property.

Nat Wallen’s marketing campaign sells homes.

Thank You Charleston!

"I did not know there was a contest, so when Charleston City Paper readers voted me as their favorite Realtor, it was really nice. Charleston is a beautiful place, but the people here are what make living here so great!" - Nat Wallen

The Carolina One™ Sign

Every aspect of what makes a sale successful has been carefully dissected for your benefit. Even down to what colors are most memorable and recognizable together on the Carolina One Real Estate sign.

Drone Photography

Luxury properties and large tracts of land need to be viewed from a different perspective to attract a buyer. Standing out to buyers on the web is critical, and drones can make that happen in the right situation.

Luxury Portfolio Program

Carolina One sells more homes over $1,000,000 than any other company in Charleston. Our Luxury Portfolio Program includes high quality peripherals, professional photography and an international marketing reach including the Wall Street Journal, Luxuryhomes.com and our Luxury Homes magazine.

Coming Soon Program

With nearly 1000 agents, I will share your homes as a "coming soon" offering in our private Facebook group. Your home will be exposed to all of the buyers Carolina One agents are working with and will sell your home faster, and for more money... and this may even happen before it is placed on the market.

A Secure Lockbox

The latest technology is utilized to ensure your home is easily accessible and completely secure. You can rest assured that your home will only be accessed by licensed SC Realtors, on your time frame, and on your specific terms.

Showing Appointments

Handling the day-to-day showing appointments is an integral part of the sales process. Nat is able to efficiently arrange showings designed to follow the guidelines that you determine.

High-Quality Photography

Quality photography plays an important role in attracting a buyer for your home. By taking the time to determine the best angle, time of day and what photos to include in your marketing campaign, Nat’s photography speaks volumes.

A Professional Description

Careful attention to details will ensure your home is described and presented in the best light possible. By describing your home accurately and positively, Nat will work with YOU as the seller to craft the best feature and benefit list possible.

Carolina One™ Marketing

Your home sale will benefit with the Carolina One team at work. Through a variety of different mediums, the fully staffed marketing department works to expose your home to all buyers coming into the Charleston area.

The Caravan Tour

Nat Wallen will arrange a Carolina One agent tour of your home. Agents will become familiar with what your home offers by seeing it in person, and can share this information with their clients. In addition, agent feedback provides insightful opinions on the asking price and what will aid in the process.

The “Now Showing” System

Using Carolina One’s exclusive “Now Showing System,” Nat will proactively contact agents currently looking for a home like yours. This proprietary software system will locate agents currently working with buyers that fit the price range and area for your home.

Office Notifications

Carolina One has several offices in the Charleston area. With quality materials and a strong network of active Realtors selling homes each day in your neighborhood, your home sale will benefit with the strength of Carolina One’s agents working together.

Free Home Warranty

An American Home Shield home warranty will be placed on your property at no cost to you. This coverage is provided to you while your home is listed with Nat Wallen of Carolina One Real Estate.

Multiple Listing Service

Nat Wallen takes great care to provide an engaging description and high-quality photography to share your home’s features with all Charleston area buyers.

Buyer E-mail Notifications

With Nat’s knowledge of how to push the MLS features to their full capabilities, each day as buyers come into the market looking for a home like yours, they will receive an e-mail from their agent letting them know it is for sale and ready to be shown.

CarolinaOne.com

With over 80,000 visitors each month, Carolina One’s professional website allows your home’s quality photos, detailed description and availability to be shared with incoming buyers to the area on a local, national and global scale.

Relocation Notifications

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World will be notified of your home’s availability for sale. Composed of 550 firms, 4,600 offices and 140,000 sales associates in over 30 countries, this group of successful real estate agencies send referrals daily.

Mass Realtor Syndication

NatWallen.com is a heavily used Charleston real estate website. In addition to reaching hundreds of buyers visiting each day, your home will be syndicated to over 3,000 Realtor websites.

Social Networking

Your home will be shared through various social networking portals. Nat controls several Facebook pages and groups. Your property will be shared on pages like “Charleston, SC” - “Fans of Charleston” - “Fans of MUSC” - “Mt. Pleasant SC”- “The Nat Wallen Team” - ”Nat Wallen Real Estate” and “The Best of Charleston.”